EDVARD MUNCH

Norwegian painter Edvard Munch created the legendary The Scream, easily one of the most recognizable paintings of art history. In 2012, it sold for more than $1.9 million! Although Munch experienced huge success at his prime and beyond his death, he did not begin as an artist. He started his professional life studying at a technical college, but after a year he knew his calling lied elsewhere. He promptly signed up for art school and rented a studio with other artists. They learned from one another, helping one another grow. Munch mastered expressionism and used its sensitive style to portray deep emotions, mostly tied to deaths of his family members. He used his somber connection to emotions to create many series, many of which were immensely successful.